David Ross, along with his Technical Emmy Award, was the main attraction at this year’s South Dundas Chamber of Commerce Small Business Week Celebration dinner.
Sponsored by Collins Barrow, Lloyd McMillan Equipment, the Municipality of South Dundas, and RBC Royal Bank, the October 6 event was held at the Iroquois Golf Club and included guest speakers from the municipality’s economic development office, as well as a small business professional from RBC.
It was Ross, however, who spent the better part of the night regaling guests with tales of how Ross Video went from an idea in the 1980’s to what it is today. He said he remembered visiting Iroquois with his dad (John) when he was a boy, adding that they both loved the village’s quaintness. Iroquois’ proximity to the St. Lawrence River, the U.S.-Canadian Border, and Highway 401 added to its desirability, David said, and it was decided, Iroquois would become the home of John Ross’ business.
“Iroquois was the perfect place to build a business and it still is,” David said.
Ross Video, whose headquarters is still located in Iroquois, currently employs roughly 640 people, David said this number should grow to roughly 750 by the end of next year.
“There’s lots going on,” he said.
Ross Video has grown from a somewhat small company to what it is today, a booming multi-million dollar business that consistently strives to be at the top of what they do.
“We were a small business,” David said, explaining that Ross in the early 90’s had roughly 25 employees and made less money each year than the local lumberyard.
“With no money to do anything and wondering what we were going to do next, we accomplished a lot out of thin air by asking ‘what can we do that the other guys aren’t doing and how can we do it better,’” David said. “I think we did a lot of things right.”
David said that doing things right included, for starters, avoiding doing things wrong, making the tough decisions, and hiring the best people, which includes training and treating those employees well.
“You surround yourself with really bright hard-working people,” he said.
Doing things right also includes working within a budget and setting goals based on that budget, pushing hard, but not too hard, aiming for growth each year, but not too much growth. Ross likened this to training for a marathon rather than a sprint. Most importantly, he said, is to recognize when you have a good idea and then actively promote that idea.
The company has grown to include new services and products throughout the years with the addition of two more companies last month, David said. In the past 25 years, Ross Video has grown by 18 per cent, he added. Generally, the company is best known for its creation of high-end technology.
“We make almost all the products you would need if you’re making a high-end video project,” David said.
While Ross faced some difficult times during the recession, David said they survived by recognizing a key fact: people still spend money when times are tough. Ross adapted by offering products at both ends of the price spectrum, ensuring those with less money to spend still had something at Ross to spend that money on.
Another way Ross has not only survived, but also thrived to become bigger and better than it was a quarter of a century ago, is by continuously adding new product lines. Not too much too fast, David said, but rather a steady consistent movement in a forward direction.
“That’s how we ended up with 20 product lines,” David said. “We’ve grown every year for 25 years.”
In addition to winning a Technical Emmy from The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in January 2016, David was recently named CEO of the Year by the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce and the Ottawa Business Journal.
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